Ember Island
by dayscrazed
Summary: Pre-Lok. Team Avatar and their families celebrate an annual vacation on Ember Island. Linzin heavy. I DO NOT own Lok or ATLA characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

As they flew over the endless blue ocean, Lin sighed and slumped against Appa's saddle in total boredom. Her mother had done the same thing multiple times throughout their trip. Katara had glared at her from the front of the bison where she was seated next to the Avatar who was holding the reins. However, since Toph was blind, Katara's scowl of contempt went unnoticed.

So many people occupied the saddle space, it was a wonder that the old bison could carry this heavy a load. Lin glanced around and all of the faces had that look of exhaustion that came with being in the air for so long. Next to her sat her oldest and closest friend, Tenzin. It was not easy for Lin to make new friends because of her tendency to be brash and crude when talking with people, especially strangers. It was her way of defending herself. Her abrasive nature unfortunately prevented her from branching out. Only people who had known her all her life, who knew this about her could understand and accept her. Tenzin was always that person.

His sister and brother sat on Tenzin's other side. Even though Kya and Bumi could hardly keep still when they had taken off, by now they were just as exhausted as the rest of the party.

Her mother sat across from her, occasionally clutching Sokka's arm. The water tribe councilman had been in the city for a long weekend and would be meeting his wife and children when they landed on the Ember Island.

If they ever got there! Lin was starting to wonder when her vacation would officially start. At eleven years old, Lin was already facing difficulty in school, particularly with certain kids who could only be classified as bullies. Her mother's position as chief, her mother's blindness, her lack of a second parent, her one friend at school, were all subject to exploitation. In addition, Lin had begun metalbending training. That is, training to become a metalbender. Toph had felt that Lin had had enough understanding of the earth to try to sense metal. However, so far, her efforts had yielded no success. Toph had tried to keep Lin from getting discouraged, but she was never good at pep talks.

Lin was desperately looking forward to this vacation on Ember Island. She needed the distraction and the relaxation. "Katara, are we there yet?"

"Good question," Bumi said. The Avatar's eldest son flung himself over the edge of the saddle and gazed out at the miles of water below, as if expecting to finally see some land.

"Not yet, dear," Katara called back. "We did just cross over into Fire Nation waters though."

"Oh, seriously?" Sokka asked. "We _just _crossed into the Fire Nation? Aang, can't you make Appa fly any faster?"

"Well, I could, Sokka," Aang relpied. "But you'd all fall off his saddle." Some of the children on board laughed at this.

"Keep it this speed, Twinkle Toes," Toph said. "I don't think these kids back here would like my vomit all over them." Lin chuckled. She knew her mother loathed flying, anything that took her off the earth for a long period of time.

Lin looked over at the earthbender. She seemed in good spirits, but Lin knew better. She had been having a rough time at the police station because of that criminal's escape. Some nasty bloodbender had been stirring up trouble for years, and four years ago her Uncle Aang had taken away his bending and her mother had arrested him and sent him to prison.

Lin would never forget that day. She starred off into the clear blue sky as she recalled the events of that day.

_She and Tenzin had been playing on Air Temple Island in the courtyard when they noticed Appa flying quickly across the bay. When he landed near the temple, Tenzin and Lin raced over. Even though they were only eight and seven years old respectively, they knew something was wrong. _

_This criminal, Yakone, was supposed to be on trial that day. Lin later learned that he bloodbent the entire courtroom and had nearly escaped. But on that day, all she knew was that her mother was unconscious and being carried in to the temple to Katara to be healed along with many others, including Sokka. _

_She had wanted to rush her mother's side. Aang had held her back. Tears started to fall from her young eyes as Aang tried to explain what happened. Lin wasn't really listening. She was just incessantly begging for him to tell her that her mother was okay. When, Aang could not give her an answer, she became terrified, more so than she had ever been in her life. She tried desperately to run around him to get to her, but Aang wouldn't let her go._

"_Lin, I'm sorry, but your mom needs to be alone with the healers right now. Once she's resting, you can see her okay?"_

_She sniffed as she continued to sob but nodded her head in understanding. Lin would have to be patient, which she was never really good at. _

"_Tenzin, will you stay with Lin until I come back out to get you?" Aang looked at his son knowing that he could count on him. Tenzin had always been obedient and had miles more patience than Lin. _

_When Tenzin silently nodded, Aang said, "That's my boy. Thank you… See, Lin? Tenzin will stay with you until you can see your mom. I'll be back. Stay right here." He turned and headed toward where the injured were being lead inside. _

_Lin let the final tears journey down her cheeks. She stood there rooted to the spot, trying to breathe and understand what was going on. Without saying a word, Tenzin put an arm around Lin's small shoulders. Lin remembers his gentle and caring touch that did little to lift her spirits. Without warning she sank to the ground and dropped her head, hiding her swollen eyes. _

_Lin cannot remember feeling so helpless, sitting there while her mom was recovering from an awful attack. Her friend silently sat down next to her on the hard ground. Tenzin did not offer any soothing words, nor clichéd phrases of hope, because he knew Lin would reject them. He slowly moved to grab her hand. Lin let him take it, not looking up at all. He simply sat there holding her hand, for that was all he could do. After a while, Lin squeezed her fingers around his. She held on tight, not wanting to let go of the surprisingly good feeling it gave her. _

As Lin wandered out of her memory, she realized why they were all taking this vacation together. Each year, they all take this trip to Ember Island and spent a few weeks just in each other's company. The Fire Lord welcomes them into his house and they talk, catch up, and reconnect. Only, Lin now believes that they don't really reconnect.

They don't have to. These people in this saddle are bonded together and will always be connected. Her mother and her old friends ended a war together, and that's something you don't forget. Even now, years after the war ended, they still face a lot and endure hard times together. That connection can't be severed. So, they plan each year to take time out of everybody'd busy schedules and take their family to Ember Island to remember and celebrate old times and old friends.

Looking out at the horizon, at the distant blue sky, Lin yearns even more to reach their destination. After a year of dealing with Yakone's escape, and the resulting chaos in the city's triads, Lin knows that Team Avatar needs and deserved this vacation.

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The winds blew through Lin's hair as she looked over Appa's saddle. She saw that the bison was starting his descent and she knew they must be getting close. They went from sailing amongst the clouds to hovering in the blue sky just above the water.

"Ugh, Are we there yet?" Bumi asked, frustrated.

"Actually, yes, Bumi," Aang called from the front. "As you may have noticed, we are flying at a lower altitude so we can see where to land." He gestured to the vast stretch of water before them.

"But, dad, all I see is water!"

"I'm with the kid on this one, Aang," Sokka said. "From where I'm sitting, there isn't any land for us to land on!" Aang just shook his tattooed head. Sokka was always joking around and making trouble. Unfortunately, Bumi spent a little too much time with his uncle, and had picked up a few things.

"I don't know, Uncle Sokka," came Tenzin's voice. He was perched up at the front of the saddle and peering out into the air. Lin assumed her friend was comfortable standing up in the free air. But she, herself, would be terrified to be over the edge like that. "It looks like there could be an island beyond that fog ahead."

Everyone looked to where Tenzin was pointing, everyone except Tohh, of course. Tenzin was right. As they flew closer, Lin gazed upon the magnificent island that was growing bigger and bigger.

"Ember Island, full steam ahead!" Sokka shouted.

"Uncle Sokka, we aren't on a ship!" Kya corrected. Nearly everyone laughed at that. Sokka just shrugged and continued to smile. His vacation was fast approaching.

All of the kids aboard beamed in excitement as Appa circled the island to find the Fire Lord's beach house. "It feels like we haven't been here in such a long time!" Katara exclaimed clutching Aang's arm so as not to lose her balance as Appa swerved.

"A year is a long time, Sweetness," Toph said. "I can't wait to get my toes into that sand."

"Just don't get bitten by a sand toe-crab, mom," Lin laughed.

"If any toe-crab tries to bite me, kid, I'll crush it to death with a rock." Toph mimicked killing the crab with her fingers and a fist.

"You know your senses are weaker in sand, Toph," Katara pointed out. "What if you don't see it coming?"

"Don't worry, Katara, I've been improving every year. I'll see the little beasts coming… And that goes for you kids too, and yours Sokka. I'll be able to see where you all are, so no funny business and no running off."

"Don't worry, Aunt Toph. We won't," Tenzin assured.

"You're not the one I'm worried about, Junior," Toph explained as she crossed her arms around her chest. "We found the beach yet, Twinkle Toes?"

"As a matter of fact, we have!" Aang exclaimed as he lifted the reigns and Appa sailed onto a small dock on the edge of the water below.

Lin gasped as Appa descended and her stomach did a flip. She was more comfortable with flying than her mother, but sometimes it still made her a little uneasy.

"Woo! We're finally here!" cried Bumi as he jumped off the saddle and landed on the sand. Lin watched as Tenzin airbent himself off and landed gracefully.

"Wait! Hold on! HOLD ON!" Toph shouted as Sokka grabbed her and threw her off of the bison. "Ahh…Uhh!" She landed on the sand with a thud. "Sokka! I'm gonna…"

"Careful, Toph, little ears are listening!" called Sokka as he too dismounted.

"Alright, you guys are finally here!" Everyone turned to see the Fire Lord standing at the edge of the beach, arms wide waiting to greet them. To this gang, however, he wasn't the _Fire Lord; _he was Uncle Zuko.

"Hey, buddy!" Sokka said a he marched forward and embraced his old friend.

"Zuko!" called Aang who was helping Katara unload the packs. The kids made their way up toward the house.

"Uncle Zuko!" Lin said as she hugged the scarred firebender. Kya, Bumi and Tenzin each hugged Zuko and then stepped aside to let their parents say their 'hello's.

Lin watched as the old friends reconnected. A first it seemed as though keeping in touch would be hard and complicated. This trip was proof that their efforts to stay close were working so far. She smiled as her normally emotionally distant mother was pulled into a crushing hug.

"Welcome back to Ember Island." From behind him, Zuko's wife and daughter emerged from the wide red doors of the royal beach house.

"Sokka," Mai said as she approached the new arrivals, "Suki and your boys are already inside getting settled."

"Oh. I better go help them unpack. Thanks Miss Fire Lady." Sokka waved at his friends before hastily making his way toward the house to reunite with his family.

Meanwhile, the fire princess had begun to reconnect with Kya. "I'm so glad you're here," said Ursa after giving the young waterbender a welcoming hug.

"I'm sure you were so lonely, all by yourself in this big house until we got here," Kya chuckled.

"Well it's definitely gonna be a lot more fun now that you're all here." Fire Princess Ursa was a generally nice girl. She mostly got along with Kya as the teenagers were around the same age. Ursa was amiable with Lin also, but she wasn't one to share secrets with or write letters to throughout the year. Nevertheless, Lin received a 'welcome hug 'as well.

Lin watched as Ursa said hello's to Bumi and Tenzin, and then retreated back to stand beside her parents. As a member of the Fire Nation Royal Family, Ursa always appeared to be in good, polite conduct. Lin supposed her parents had bestowed those values upon her. She was in line to become Fire Lord and so she probably strived to be worthy of this impending responsibility.

This, Lin understood all too well. Lin desired to one day take over for her mother, who was always supportive of her. However, as she looked upon Ursa's family, hers seemed somewhat different.

Ursa was destined to follow in her father's footsteps. He stood there on her right side as he always did and always will. He has instructed Ursa in the ways of firebending and will eventually instruct her in ruling a nation. On her left was her mother, who not always showed it, but was so proud of her daughter and was there by her side whenever she needed her.

Lin knew her mother loved her, but their family was unsymmetrical compared to Ursa's. Toph had always told Lin that her father was out of the picture. No more. She refused to elaborate. Lin didn't know if this meant he was dead, or neglectful, or unaware of her existence. But she did know it meant she would grow up without a father. Lin did not like to admit it, because she was perfectly happy living alone with her mother, but she wondered what it would be like to have another parent around. She once shared this secret with Tenzin.

"_It's not that I think mom's a bad parent, it's just like it seems as though she could use an extra hand."_

"_Well, she does work a lot. And I'm sure she's doing the best she can." _

"_But that's what I'm saying, Tenzin. If I had a dad, then maybe I wouldn't need to come here all the time." Lin and Tenzin were talking underneath the shade of a large tree on Air Temple Island. Because Toph worked in the afternoons, she often asked Katara to take Lin after school. Of course, Katara obliged, and Lin had grown accustomed to going home with Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin, when her mother was working late. _

"_Do you not like coming to the island?" Tenzin asked tentatively. He leaned forward and placed a hand one of his knees which were folded in a sitting position. _

_Across from him, sitting in the same position, Lin raised an arm to lightly punch him in the shoulder. "Of course not! I love coming here. Why would you even say that?" Tenzin winced from Lin's punch, but he shrugged it off as it was merely playful. He had endured much more hurtful blows from his friend in the past. "I love your family."_

"_My family loves having you here."_

_Lin sighed. "Well, that's why I'm feeling this way, I guess. I mean, I see you with your dad, and your mom, and brother and sister. And you all just seem to get along, and…I don't know…enjoy being a family."_

"_Well, you know that my family isn't perfect," Tenzin responded. "We have our problems just like anyone else."_

"_Yeah, but your parents work so well together. They share the housework. When your dad's working, your mom stays with us. Or the other way around. They take turns cooking dinner and stuff…I don't know, sometimes I wish I had two parents who could do that."_

_Tenzin thought for a second. Normally, he was very wise. Too wise for a young kid. But sometimes, when he talked with Lin, he was at a loss for words. She could always talk to him about anything. And he could always talk to her about anything. Tenzin liked that about their relationship. However, it was customary to offer advice or comforting words. This time, Tenzin didn't know what to say. Because no matter what eloquent phrase he turned, he couldn't give Lin a father. _

"_I mean your family is just so different from mine. You have a brother and a sister. "_

"_Bumi and Kya aren't all that great. Believe me," was all he could think to say._

"_Seriously, I know they drive you nuts, but I think you're lucky to have a nice normal family like that."_

_Tenzin stretched out his hand, telling her to stop. Now he knew what he wanted to say. "Ok, first of all, my family is anything but normal. I mean, come on, Lin. " He managed to get her to laugh. "Families come in all shapes and sizes, Lin. You and your mom make a pretty great family too…And besides, I actually consider you _part _of our family."_

"_Oh, come on Tenzin. Not really." She scoffed at him and rolled her eyes. _

"_Yes, really," he insisted. "I mean it. Our parents are such good friends, and they have been forever. We've pretty much grown up together. We already established that you love my family and my family loves you. You're already are a part of it. You and your mom."_

_Lin smiled although she wasn't quite sure why. She shook her head and she glanced up at the sky through the green branches of the tree. "Really, Tenzin? Me and my mom…we're all just one big family. I don't know."_

But perhaps her friend was right.

This island vacation seemed like one big family reunion. Lin looked at the people around her. These people were her family. Their relationships were confusing. Oh, yes, this group was definitely abnormal. But she loved this family.

**To be continued…**


End file.
